A history of giving.

George Shelley was just 29 years old when he was elected Mayor of Kansas City in 1878. A sign above his office door declared, “All are Welcome.” And they truly were. So many people came to Mayor Shelley seeking aid that most of his official time was devoted to helping the poor and searching for jobs for the unemployed.

“Many of these persons, especially the jobless would have no Christmas, I knew, unless the Mayor made one possible for them…” Mayor Shelley later recalled. So he went out and bought 1,000 baskets and filled them with staple groceries and various gifts, all at his own expense. He handed the basket out to numerous needy families and to anyone who called and expressed a need. Thousands of children received apples, candy, balloons, boxes of candied popcorn. Girls received dolls. There were mechanical toys for the boys.

Shelley’s community spirit was passed on through Mayor Thomas Crittenden, who realized after a Thanksgiving in 1908 that he, too, had seen too many needy children in our city. Thus, the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Association Fund was organized.

Within a few weeks $10,000 was collected and the first formalized Mayor’s Christmas Tree celebration was born. The first official event was held in Convention Hall on December 25, 1908. The city’s needy children and their parents were entertained by the likes of riding monkeys, trapeze, escape acts, clowns, hat throwing, “devil sticks” and boomerangs, hoop rolling, and eclectic acts like “The Great Marlow in a study of Frogology.” The annual event became such a spectacle that it drew crowds of 15,000 or more.

“To see the children come from the ball, smiling carrying their candy and toys, was the finest Christmas present I ever received,” proclaimed Mayor Crittenden.

1878 — 1879: George M. Shelley, Mayor of Kansas City, Democrat
Note: Until the early 1900s, Kansas City Mayors served only one-year terms
• First man to conceive the idea of a “mayor’s Christmas”
• Born in Kentucky and came to Kansas City in 1870
• He was a grocer, President of the City Council and Board of Public Works
• Encouraged the Exodusters movement through Kansas City to Kansas
• Later appointed Postmaster by President Grover Cleveland 

1906 — The Fraternal Order of Eagles, headed by John F. Pelletire, arranged a public Christmas tree in their lodge rooms at 1108 Central Street. 

1908 — 1910: Thomas Theodore Crittenden, Jr., Mayor of Kansas City, Democrat
Conceived the idea of a municipal Christmas tree on a large scale
• Started Mayor’s Christmas Tree Association Fund
• Raised in Warrensburg, Missouri and came to Kansas City, MO in 1884
• His father was Missouri Governor, Thomas Theodore Crittenden 

1923: 10,000 people were present for the lighting of two 25-foot Christmas trees
• 20,000 bags were passed out containing an apple, a box of candy, a balloon, a box of candied popcorn, a doll for the girls and a mechanical toy for the boys.
• An estimated $8,000 in dimes, $300 in pennies were collected 

1927: The Mayor’s fund accrued a deficit for the first time 

1929: The association raised $20,000 – equal to roughly $1 million today! 

1939: 18,000 people – mostly children – participated in the 31st annual Mayor’s Christmas Tree party at Municipal Auditorium. 

1941: Thousands of bags were filled with two apples, two oranges, a box of animal cookies, six ounces of peanuts, three ounces of candy, and two “all-day suckers,” and distributed to folks in need.

Today: We need your help to continue the tradition.